Her Best Friend
by passive voice
Summary: It starts with a bet: Who is Hinata's best friend? Shino and Kiba are trying to find out. Can it possibly be Neji? We'll see. [multi parts]...I was going to write more but I am no longer inspired. Sorry. If anyone wants to complete it, go ahead :
1. Bets

Her Best Friend: Bets

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, I don't own Naruto. But these are my ideas.

"OI Hinata! Wait up!"

Hinata turns around to see her teammates, Kiba and Shino striding toward her on this beautiful morning in Konoha. A few weeks earlier Konoha was under attack by that traitor Orochimaru, but now everything was starting to go back to normal. People all around the three teenagers were busy repairing building, going about their normal lives. Peaceful. If you can really say that having Kiba around was peaceful.

"Oh, hello. How are you guys?" Hinata greets them cheerfully as they catch up to her. She was genuinely happy to see them because it was the first time since the chunnin exams that they met up together.

"Good good. Yeah, um Hinata. Shino and I are having this bet…"

"Shino is betting? Really? I didn't know you bet Shino," Hinata interrupts her friend, trying to imagine Shinocrazed over a bet. The boys are surprised by the normally shy girl's sudden outburst. Then never thought that she would interrupt someone, not in this lifetime.

Shino, slightly amused, turns to her and replies, "With Kiba, it is not a bet. It is more of an investment."

Kiba fumes a little about Shino's insulting comment but gets back on topic. "Right, so who's your best friend?"

Hinata was…dumbstruck? She wonders how her two teammate would even consider something so trivial for a bet. And why is Shino in this, too? _He_ usually doesn't concern himself with her life outside of their team functions. But she doesn't voice her opinion. She hardly ever does…but this time maybe she could have some fun. _After all I'm pretty bored with no missions and all. A little fun won't hurt at all._

"Not telling," she innocently smiles.

"Not telling? NOT TELLING? Why?," Kiba overreacts.

"It's a secret." The young kunoichi raised her snow colored hands and placed them in front of her pink lips and looked down to the side for effect.

"Aww, come on girl. How about some hints for Kiba your best buddy buddy huh?" Kiba coaxes the little pale girl, nudging her a little.

"I am interested in hearing, too." Shino adds…and the other two shoot him surprised looks. To their reaction Shino asks, "What?" in an annoyed manner.

"Oh, all right. Well, he's…he's pale. And his face is always..uh…blank..yeah blank. But I know he really cares for me. He's been with me almost all my life. Ring any bells?"

_Pale, blank face, all her life: Neji, who else, the boys think as they look upon the other. Shino shows a barely-there triumphant smile that only Kiba can see._

Ignoring that smug look on the bug boy's face Kiba replies, "No, no bells,not really. What else?"

"Well, he always listens to me and now we only talk but when I was little I took him to bed when I was really sad."

Crimson blushes creep up the two boys' faces. Regret immediately fillsthe dog boy'smind upon hearing this.

"I think I heard enough," Shino says. _Neji…and Hinata…wouldn't have thought of that but my bugs knew better_.

"Uh…me, too."

Hinata asks sweetly, "Is that all you guys need from me today?"

"Yeaaaah…we need to go…right Shino?" Kiba is getting nervous. He really didn't want to hear more about his teammate and some other boy that he didn't really like that much.

"Right. Good bye Hinata. Thank you for your time today," Shino politely says.

"Oh, no problem Shino. Have a nice day you guys." Hinata smiles and resumes her walk back towards her house, alittle happier than when she left home earlier.

"Pay up Kiba. It was Neji." Shino says through gritted teeth after Hinata was out of sight.

"No way man. Not until we find out for sure." Kiba replies, wondering how he could have bet on the wrong person. "And there's only one way to find out."

"Let's go then."

The two, fueled by their curiosity and wondering why Hinata is being so secretive with them, run towards Neji's training area.

………………………………........................................................................................

Just who is Hinata's best friend? Who do you think it is? And yeah, please be reasonable about your comments, say what you have to say-like if this was a total disaster or if I was ok with the characterization. Constructive criticisms please.


	2. Interrogation

Thank you all for being so sweet when writing reviews. I was totally surprised because I wasn't expecting so many. But now it makes me strive to write better. I also thank you for explaining AU to me. Another Universe. Real cute. My fic is starting to get AU by the minute.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I would in Another Universe. (whee)  
So without further ado…

**Her Best Friend: Interrogation**

.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Neji answers Kiba. He is starting to lose his patience. If he had any to start with, that is.

"Well, you have to be. You're the only one we could think of. Pale, blank, and you knew her since she was little. You've got to be her best friend," Kiba argues, unaware of the veins starting to appear on Neji's face.

Neji doesn't like having people call him blank, much less accuse him of something he knew nothing of. After all, his training was interrupted when the dog boy arrived babbling about him being pale and blank and knowing Hinata and the bug boy just standing there wasn't making things clear either.

Shino, aware of the veins, creeps up and pulls Kiba back. A little roughly.

"Hey Shino, what was that for?"

"What he's trying to say is; are you Hinata's best friend?" Shino inquires quietly, ignoring his complaining teammate. _I'm just one answer away from winning. _

"No."

Kiba looks up with surprise. _It's that easy to get an answer from that guy…why didn't he make it easier by just answering me the first time? …hmm, oh well. But that means I didn't loose to Shino. Yoshyaa!_

Shino, who was expecting a favorable answer, is also taken back with surprise. "You're not? But…you're pale and your face is usually blank and she's known you for most of her life. Surely you must be…"

"You are mistaken." Neji calmly answers with a hint of superiority.

"So you never…" Kiba starts idly staring at his long fingernails...

"What?" Neji barks in an irritated tone.

"Went to bed with baby Hinata?" Kiba looks up and flashes his sharp teeth in a smile.

It is splendid how Neji is able to darken his facial features in less than a second.

"You might consider leaving me before I do something I may regret."

Shino snaps out of his confused state and holds Kiba back from doing something that _he_ might regret. "Yes, right away. But do you have any idea whom it may be?"

Neji who slightly respects the younger ninja's calm attitude answers, "I know him…or rather it." _Hinata-sama may very well be the only person in this world who would consider an object as a friend. Which is completely understandable for a girl with her disposition. And now she has me calling Higa…I mean her diary "him"... But how cruel of my cousin to play around the truth like that to her teammates. _He smirks a little.

"IT?" Kiba yells again but calms down when he catches Neji giving him one of his notorious glares.

Shino raises an eyebrow. "It?"

"And if you interrogate more, you might find out what it is," Neji says as he starts to walk away.

"You are mistaken, bug boy," Kiba mimics the arrogant tone of the older genin when he made sure he wouldn't hear. "I owe you nothing. Chara da, cha-ra. Hai, ichyo agari!"

Shino stands and muses. _There is no way my bugs could be wrong. They are never wrong. This really bugs me. (No pun intended.)  
_.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Meanwhile Hinata is in her room taking out her "best friend" and placing him on her little white desk in front of an open window. She starts writing tiny and neat letters onto the blank, cream colored pages of a pearly white leather bound sketchbook. It was a gift she received from her cousin when she first met him. She had used it for nine years and it still looked immaculate, almost new. It was so precious to her.

_Higa, today I saw my teammates. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them today. And they are just so funny. They're betting on my best friend. You. But I still wish Neji was. Even though he tried to hurt me. I know it's my fault_, she writes

_Maybe you should look for a new friend Hinata,_ she imagines the response Higa would give_, or maybe you should go talk to him._

_Maybe I will. Thank you for listening to me_. The timid girl closes her diary andleaves the room with determined eyes and an almost smile.

When the door closed a small white dog jumps lightly into the previously occupied room. He sniffs at Hinata's white diary, picks it up with his mouth, and jumps out the window without disturbing anything else.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
A while later Akamaru sprints up to the training grounds and drops a white book at Kiba's feet as if he were playing fetch. "Wan! Wan!"

"Eh? Nanda kore?" Kiba questions his canine partner and picks up the book. The two boys peer into the pages filled with Hinata's fine handwriting and some pressed flowers.

"Hinata's best friend? Her diary?" Shino inquires his now partner in crime.

"DIARY??? YABE! What should we do, Shino? We're in major trouble. Akamaru, how could you?" A typical Kiba reaction. He turns to his dog.

"Wan!! Wan!" is Akamaru's response as he wags his tail.

But they turn quiet when they see the first few pages. Neat little drawings sparkling and alive with color, probably made by the three year old Hinata. Little Nejis and even smaller Hinatas with smiles reaching their eyes; her first memories of friendship.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.

_

* * *

_

_Did you see that coming? Bet you didn't. Ehehe. Ok, I must confess I was thinking about a big white bunny doll (isn't that so Hinata?) called Higa. Am I that obvious? So yeah, I changed it to a diary and I hope you guys enjoyed. Oh I hope it made sense. (Pale- white leather, cream colored pages. Blank face-blank pages. Always there-since she was three…always listens because…it can't really object to having to. Took it to bed-you know how girls sometimes hide their diaries under her pillow.) And I know it's starting to get AU but at least I'll try not to let the fantabulous characters go OOC. Alrighty? Domo._


End file.
